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"The face of the operation is Briatore (referred to exclusively in the film by his colleagues and angry, chanting detractors as "Flavio"), an anthropomorphic radish who spends most of his time at QPR plotting to fire all of the managers."

At press time, Harbaugh had sent Michigan’s athletic department an envelope containing a heavily annotated seating chart, a list of the 63,000 seat views he had found unsatisfactory, and a glowing 70-page report on section 25, row 12, seat 9, which he claimed is “exactly what the great sport of football is all about.”

Hello: Thomas Rawls

Over the course of the recruiting process, MI RB Thomas Rawls has made it no secret that he'd commit to Michigan if he had the chance. Michigan has offered, and according to the Detroit News, Rawls will be a Wolverine. Apparently his coach was unable to contain the excitement until Thomas's press conference, at which Rivals confirmed he committed to Michigan.

GURU RATINGS

Scout

Rivals

ESPN

3*, #77 RB, #15 Instate

3*, 5.6, #20 Instate

3*, 76, #81 RB

The sites are in agreement: Thomas Rawls stands 5-10, and about 215 pounds. Their rankings of him aren't very high, but there are some reasons for that. Scout openly downgrades players for being academic risks (which is stupid, because it's easy for the layman to tell whether or not he ultimately enrolls at school - rankings should be about skill, not some abstract "value" parameter), and ESPN says that he deserves to see his stock higher than it is, apparently not realizing that they're the ones ranking these kids. More from ESPN:

He is a physically imposing back with good downhill attributes. Hits the hole with authority and flashes good downhill burst and momentum. Quick to see and hit the cutback. A decisive and aggressive runner who is constantly heading North with square shoulder pads and good lean. Displays good explosive out of his cuts and can change speeds to elude.

So far, so good. Weaknesses?

Breaks consistent first contact but did not see the pile pushing power we were expecting. Competition at times appears inferior.

So, uh "AWESOME, except he plays against crappy competition" means he's the 81st-best RB in the country? Color me skeptical on their methodology (more on it in the next section). They also say he has the speed to break big runs against high schoolers, but may not be able to continue at the next level - a more reasonable criticism.

If that's the extent of their criticisms, sign me up for a guy with the upside that a bowling ball-type guy with all the positive attributes listed in the top section.

“I’m a power back and a speed back. I’m also pretty elusive. I can break tackles and always find a crease.”

The elusiveness might be overstated, as that's one of ESPN's criticisms of Thomas, but the combo of speed and power seems to be right in line with scouting reports.

A lack of offers may have kept his overall rankings low, but somewhere in the 3-star range - just a bit higher in the pecking order - seems to be legit to me.

[Ed.: Touch The Banner may provide some insight into the rankings that ESPN's boosterism does not: "Many fans want to compare Rawls to Mark Ingram, the Flint product who won the Heisman for Alabama in 2009. Admittedly, Rawls and Ingram have some physical similarities. Both are approximately the same height and even have similar gaits. But Ingram (who was a 4-star recruit) is and was quicker than Rawls. Michigan fans might not like me for saying this, but Rawls reminds me of Kevin Grady."

OTOH, LeVeon Bell.]

OFFERS

Central Michigan was Rawls's only offer almost through the entire recruiting process. Though Michigan didn't offer until close to the end, they were always right there for him.

Why so few offers? His grades have been a question mark, and that scared away a lot of schools. He insists he'll qualify to play as a freshman, so hopefully it won't be an issue. The lack of offers is part of what kept his rankings low, so look at it with a critical eye.

STATS

Sophomore and junior stats from Scout:

Thoimas Rawls made All-State Honorable Mention, All-Conference and All-City for his sophomore and junior seasons. As a junior, he rushed for 1,056 yards and 16 TD's on 138 carries and recorded 101 tackles. He says he can bench 285-pounds, squats 405 and has a 34-inch vertical jump.

4.5, per the premium sites. That's pretty darn good for a running back with Rawls's size. Of course, his reputation is as a guy who's pretty fast for his size, so I guess it makes sense. Three FAKEs out of five.

VIDEO

Youtube highlights:

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Michigan is in need of a power back, especially with the move to a pro-style offense. Michael Cox has shown flashes, but those have only been against the worst competition on the schedule. The previous coaching staff didn't trust his blocking or hands enough to play him on any regular basis.

However, Stephen Hopkins may have a lock on the starting (power back) position, and as an academic risk, it's probably for the best that Rawls takes a redshirt year to focus on academics and adjust to college life. That will also give him the chance to undergo a year of college weight training, and get acclimated with the playbook before he's ever expected to do anything on the field.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan really needs a defensive tackle and a tight end, but everything else going forward is pretty much gravy. There are five prospects - Fisher, Clark, Willingham, Barnett, and Cooper - still out there (that we know of), and the Wolverines should have room in the class to take them all, should they be so lucky.

I'm in Chicago (it's hitting us before heading to Michigan) and in the last hour, all the sudden, it started blowing crazy winds- the trees are shaking outside like they do in a thunderstorm- and the snow has started coming down at a decent clip, making it swirl and stuff and cutting visibility. . . probably by 75%...and the "real" stuff isn't supposed to start for another 5 hours or so here, so, shit, it's probably going to be pretty bad. Supposedly the wind will cause 25 foot waves on Lake Michigan coming ashore, which is really rare.

Just read that story--great link. I hadn't gotten the recruiting bug until coaching change, but this kid sounds like he has the work ethic to hack it in AA (going from lower grades to better ones once he saw the importance), even if he isn't a natural student.

If he worked that hard on grades, imagine what the kid's gonna do in the weight room and on the practice field, where he actually enjoys being.

"As a junior Rawls had 138 carries for 1,056 yards and 16 touchdowns. Due to a senior year injury, he only played seven games; however, he still rushed the ball 150 times for 1,582 yards and 18 touchdowns. That's 10.55 yards per carry and 226 yards per game. He also caught 4 passes for 85 yards and 1 touchdown. As a linebacker, he had 101 tackles as a junior and 37 as a senior."

Personally I'm more impressed that he did that in only 7 games. Cupcake competition or not, he devoured the cupcakes like you expect a stud to do. Excited to see what he can do at the next level.

excellent start to the NSD week! M has had some great backs over the past 40 years (my time frame). We'll have to wait and see if Mr. Rawls will be one of them. Always like to get a kid who is burning to be BLUE!

When I read that Thomas broke down in tears when he got his offer, I immediately loved the guy. With him being coached by Fred Jr., he seems like a son of the program. And unless the opposition in his video is terrible, this guy is a horse who will be ideal for Hoke's UM. Welcome, Thomas!

"We will do our very best to carry on the Michigan tradition of excellence... And what I ask is that everyone that's for us is for us." Michigan Football Coach Jim Harbaugh

This is a kid that wanted nothing more than to play for Michigan. He could have let his academic troubles stop him, but he did not, and for this, he is my favorite recruit in this class.

I also think that this kid has the ability to be a monster back.

One note on the whole love of Michigan thing - that seems to be a real theme of this offseason. Hoke openly said that this was his dream job and accepted without asking about pay. Mattison called Michigan a special place and said that he wouldn't have left the NFL for anywhere else. Rawls broke down crying when he got his offer because he wanted so badly to play for Michigan.

I've fallen in love with this kid. When he talked about his changed academic performance, he said his mindset became "OK, I'm a young man about to become a man, so I now I've got to handle my business."

I think Rawls will want to prove the teams that didn't want him wrong and make the team that has given him a chance proud. It's very cool how he worked hard on his grades to attend his dream school. I'll be rooting for him.

I get knocked down, but I get up again; you're never going to keep me down. I get knocked down, but I get up again; you're never going to keep me down.

I've actually been thinking for a while Rawls reminds me a lot of Kevin Grady. Similar running style, similar build, probably similar speed although Grady was likely a bit faster.

But I don't say this as a bad thing. Sure, Grady didn't turn out to be the monster we expected, but if M could have another Grady, minus the fumbling, injury and DUI problems, we'd have a helluva running back. Many of the runs Grady had where he wasn't hurt or fumbling were pretty solid, especially before his big injury. If that's what we get out of Rawls, then it's well worth the offer and he'll exceed his rankings.

He also reminds me of a few of the 2010 Iowa running backs, minus the crazy injuries or weed problems. Could be a lot like Marcus Coker, just a little shorter.

I remember being so psyched when we got Grady. He was going to be the "big back" that would dominate.

I attribute some of his problems to injuries and fumbling tendencies, but more to his lack of attention to S&C and practice. I can't find a source, but if I recall, some of the old coaches (Lloyd era) were pissed at Grady because they felt that he didn't put in maximum effort. While he was a big kid, his body never really developed beyond what he came in at.

To me, Rawls has the same potential that Grady had. Let's hope that he makes more of it.

I wasn't blown away by Rawls's highlight reel, but then I was convinced by McGuffie's mixtape that he'd be a Heisman candidate by the time he was a junior, so I don't really put a huge amount of stock in them these days. I'm really glad he's a Wolverine. If all he does is stay healthy, that will give him a leg up on most of the incumbent RBs on the team.

Occasional excess is necessary to remedy the deadening effects of moderation.

Articulately put, however I think it would be better said like this: "But Ingram (who was a 4-star recruit) is and was quicker than Rawls. Michigan fans might not like me for saying this, but Rawls reminds me of Kevin Grady."